


Over The Fence

by xuxitime



Category: ATEEZ (Band)
Genre: Alcohol, Alternate Universe - College/University, Childhood Friends, Fluff, Friends to Lovers, M/M, Pining, its gonna be cute, who knows where this will end up
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-07-10
Updated: 2019-08-11
Packaged: 2020-06-26 00:35:01
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 6
Words: 9,071
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/19756969
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/xuxitime/pseuds/xuxitime
Summary: If there was one thing Wooyoung still very clearly remembered about San, it was his smile. That smile had stayed the same, their friendship unfortunately not. But that was something Wooyoung was willing to work on.





	1. 1.

**Author's Note:**

> hey all!
> 
> first off i hope you enjoy this and please let me know what you think afterwards!  
> im not sure when ill post the second chapter since the first took me quite a while to write, and this is pretty much he first non-oneshot ive ever written, but i hope ill get in the flow for the second one a bit more.  
> also, the title is a song by rad museum, i listened to it a lot while writing and its very nice so go listen to it hehe
> 
> anyways, thats all, please enjoy!!!

If there was one thing Wooyoung still very clearly remembered about San, it was his smile. It had been years since he had seen that smile, but he could still envision it before him. The dimples in his cheeks, the way he scrunched his eyes up, how they turned into nothing but lines, like two little crescent moons. The kind of smile that made everyone around him smile too. He had seen that smile so many times. Every time they would sneakily make eye contact in class, every time either of them would share a newfound secret hideout with the other, every time they told eachother stories and sang eachother songs, that smile was always there. Maybe that was what Wooyoung missed the most. That smile, that symbol of innocent, unfiltered happiness. Now that he was in college, all he would share with his friends were tired looks, rolling eyes and bitter remarks about their professors. And sure, he was happy. He had a great roommate and amazing friends. He was able to keep his grades at a decent level, even though he had to balance his school life with his dance classes and the occasional parties. How could he not be happy? After all, his parents always told him that being a student would be the best period of his life. Yet he couldn't stop thinking about that time as kids. About San. Wondering if San had changed, if he still had that same smile, that same happiness, or if it had also been turned bitter by the stress of growing up. He thought he would never know. Sure, he had tried to reach out to San, after they were seperated due to high school, but their friendship had never been based around texts. It just didn't seem to work now that they weren't able to see eachother every day. So eventually Wooyoung gave up. San never even tried. 

~  
~  
~

After two beers the music didn't annoy Wooyoung anymore. After two more he could even enjoy it. At least it was loud and the bass seemed to get through to his bones. That was all he really wanted. Something to get his mind off the essay he still had to finish. Something to get his roommate Hongjoong's mind off his crush that he was too scared to talk to. Something Yunho and Mingi could scream along to. Just something fun and loud that they could get drunk to. Right when Yunho put his arm around his friend's shoulders and seemingly tried to create a moshpit with just the four of them, he saw it. Him. He wasn't sure at first. Of course he wasn't. It was hard to make out from just glances across a room full of drunk dancing people.  
He had grown a lot. His hair was a dark red now. But he still seemed... familiar. The same, but different. Still slender, elegant, full of energy, dancing without caring about anyone around him. Undeniably San.

"Woo!" Yunho screeched in his ear. "Beer pong!" He sent a wide grin Wooyoung's way and pointed toward the kitchen. There wasn't even any time to answer, before Hongjoong dragged him along, following Mingi and Yunho, who were still hanging off each other's shoulders and loudly singing. Wooyoung sent one last look over his shoulder to try and catch a glimpse of the red haze that was San's hair, but then he joined his friends and tried to put him out of his mind again.

After maybe an hour more, he had lost count of the amount of beers he'd had. He and Hongjoong were losing again, and terribly at that. Not that it mattered, they both couldn't help but smile at the gutteral screams their friends let out evey time they managed to score another cup. They would just down the beer quickly and with ease. At this point they had even gathered a little bit of an audience of quiet onlookers who would cheerfully shake their head at Mingi and Yunho's excitement, or highfive them, while waiting for their own moment to shine in the next round. 

Yunho pretty much threw himself against the table, trying to swat away the bouncing ping pong ball and with a loud crash made half of the cups still in the game fall over. For a moment the kitchen erupted into a chaotic cacophony of screaming and laughter, as beer flooded the entire table and dripped onto the floor. Wooyoung couldn't help his highpitched laughter upon seeing Yunho's shocked wide eyes as Mingi aggressively shook his teammate's shoulders while screaming some meaningless noises directly into his ear. Wooyoung grabbed Hongjoong's arm, who was still bent over from uncontrollable laughter, and pulled him away from the crime scene. He wasn't about to clean up this entire mess. When he turned towards the door however, he froze. Because there was San, staring straight at him. Only a step away, eyes open in shock and unmoving. "Hi," Wooyoung started, but it didn't sound as confident as he wanted, and he didn't have time to say anything else before his friends tumbled into his back and pushed him past San out the door. With misschievous giggles the four of them pushed through the crowd all the way to the back door and eventually stranded on the porch looking out over the back yard. They slumped down, still laughing, with bright eyes and flushed cheeks, and the excitement and energy of the moment was only slightly dampened, as Wooyoung wondered how many more chances he would get to talk to San.

~

The new kid in class had caught Wooyoung's attention. He was small, in a fragile kind of way, but he had a look in his eyes like he would punch anyone who came too close. The kid intrigued him endlessly. He had picked a spot in front of Wooyoung, a little to the right. Alone. Even though there were enough other kids to sit next to. Strange, but Wooyoung wasn't complaining. The kid was close enough for Wooyoung to tap his shoulder if he leaned forward a bit and far away enough to dodge any punch he might throw after Wooyoung introduced himself. Luckily, he didn't punch. Instead he nodded, responded "I'm San!" and sent him a smile that was way more effective than any punch would be. And Wooyoung decided he was gonna be San's best friend.

~

Finally, Wooyoung thought, finally he would get the chance to talk to San. Now that he wasn't surrounded by friends and loud strangers, Wooyoung could finally bring up the confidence to walk up to his former friend, with just a tiny little bit of help from the alcohol of course. Just as he was about to take a deep breath and just go for it, Yunho interrupted. "San-ie!" he shouted, and smiled brightly while throwing his arms around the boy's neck and hugging him, with his entirely too large body slumped against San's small physique, who struggled to keep the other up, but of course smiled anyway. Wooyoung froze for a moment, then sighed. Moment ruined, he thought. He didn't even know Yunho and San knew each other, but then again Yunho knew almost everyone, or at least acted like everyone was his best friend, despite having met them only once. Though these two did seem pretty comfortable around each other, Wooyoung noticed. Well, it wouldn't hurt to have another excuse to talk to San, he supposed. Yet another time that night, he took a deep breath and stepped towards his former friend. "Heyyy, San," he nervously began.  
"You two know each other?!" Yunho blurted out, way too loud and way too excited. Wooyoung suppressed the urge to roll his eyes, but San just giggled.  
"Hey Wooyoung," he calmly said. "Long time no see, huh?" Wooyoung wasn't sure if the strange feeling in his stomach came from the way San sweetly smiled at him, or because he no longer called him by his nickname 'Woo' like he always used to.

"Yeah..." he chuckled awkwardly. "How have you been?" 

San just shrugged, or tried to as well he could with a now pouting Yunho still hanging on his shoulder. "You know, school and all, I'm majoring in psychology and I'm doing some extra classes, so I've been pretty busy."

"Oh." Wooyoung had expected something more like art or music, or maybe even dance. He remembered San had started taking dance classes their last year and he always gave Wooyoung a little performance of what he had learned the day after, which was part of the reason Wooyoung decided to pick up dance himself later in life. And even before that he had always loved music and singing, and the two of them had spent a lot of time on Wooyoung's bedroom floor, drawing in silence. He could easily imagine San as a performer or a musician, or as an artist, letting his imagination run wild, but a psychologist?

San giggled, apparently having noticed the slightly disappointed look in his former friend's eyes. "It's not as boring as it sounds," he said with a whiny voice. 

Before Wooyoung could even think about an answer, it seemed like Yunho had become too bored with their conversation, as he suddenly jumped up and pulled on San's sleeve. "You want to go get chicken? I'm starving!" His eyes sparkled just at the thought of it. "You're coming too, right Mingi?!" He shouted to his friend at the other side of the room, who cheered in response. 

San smiled fondly at his friend and mumbled something about getting his own friends, before leaving only to return quickly after with a boy with sharp eyebrows and dark wavy hair who waved shyly at them.

Wooyoung knew it would take his friends some time to actually get going, so he took the opportunity to sneak off to the kitchen and make himself a mix of coke and slightly too much rum in a slightly too large cup. He wasn't sure why his nerves were acting up so much. Now that he finally had had the chance to talk to San, he ruined it by being awkward and rude and honestly, he wasn't so keen on experiencing it again. But he wasn't gonna miss out on good food and it wasn't like he could justify his absence to his friends anyway. So he headed back to the group with a mix of dread and excitement brewing at the pit of his stomach.

~

The first time they hung out after school, it was Wooyoung who had asked. He had thought hard and long about it, pondered all the things they could do and all the ways he could ask his new friend and all the ways San could refuse. And then he went for it, grabbed San's arm right as their lunch break started and asked. And if San noticed the blush on his cheeks and the slight stutter in his voice, he didn't mention it. Instead he smiled, of course he did, and spent the rest of the break chattering excitedly about where they could go. Far away from school, of course, and somewhere nowhere else could find them, and *how* had Wooyoung never sneaked into the woods before?! Aren't there evil things living in the woods, Wooyoung had asked. And San had gotten this strange look on his face and promised he would fight anything that came at them. And Wooyoung figured he had never been happier to make a friend before.

~

Wooyoung had spent countless sleepless nights and boring lectures fantasizing about reuniting with his childhood friend, but he had never imagined it happening in a hot, dirty snackbar at 4 am, surrounded by a group of loud friends, crowded around a too tiny table filled with chicken that tasted incredible only at this hour of the day and slightly below average usually, with a drink that made him wince slightly every time he took a sip of it. 

Mingi and Yunho were somehow still as energetic as they had been the entire night, only shutting up when putting a piece of chicken in their mouth, only to exclaim loudly at the amazing taste two seconds later. Sometimes they dragged the others along in their antics, but more often than not they were stuck in a weird kind of humor that only the two of them really seemed to understand. Hongjoong tried his best to involve everyone, switching between his friends' jokes and calmly trying to make conversation with the quiet, pretty boy apparently called Yeosang, and even involving the owner of the snackbar halfway through. It seemed Wooyoung was left to talk to San. And even though that had been his goal the entire night, he had apparently suddenly lost his ability to talk normally, or keep a conversation going, or act like a normal human being. It didn't help that San also seemed to be very interested in Mingi and Yunho's antics, and spent half the time bent over from laughter. So in the end, Wooyoung was left alone. As alone as one could be when their arms were constantly breezing someone else's sweaty skin because there wasn't enough room at the table, which apparently, was very alone. He pretended to be very focused on his food and his drink, and very much not focused on the way San clapped his hands when he laughed or the way he would randomly hold someone's arm or to notice that his smile had, in fact, not changed at all. And definitely not to notice that that smile seemed to be aimed an awful lot at Yunho. And he definitely didn't finish his drink way too fast trying to imagine San as a psychologist.


	2. 2.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> hey hey,
> 
> i dont have much to say except thanks for reading, please enjoy and let me know what you think!  
> once again, ill try to post to next chapter soonish, but please be patient with me.
> 
> thank youu!!

When Wooyoung woke up his back hurt. A lot. But that was nothing compared to the throbbing pain in his head that made him want to just groan and turn around to go right back to sleep. But he feared if he did that, the movement would make his nausea even worse and cause him to start puking again. Assuming that was what happened last night a least, he wasn't really in the mood to try and remember the details. 

This was quite the predicament he found himself in, he thought. He figured the best course of action right now would be to just not move, just lie there and feel miserable. It only lasted what felt like a couple minutes when he heard some stumbling noises from another room. Immediately he shot his eyes open and realized he was lying on a couch, not on his trusty bed, and it definitely wasn't the small worn down couch in his and Hongjoong's shared dorm. 

Awfully slowly he managed to push himself to sit upright without immediately bending over again and he took some time to blink the sleep out of his eyes and look around the room. It was definitely a dorm room, but much smaller than his own, with only the couch he was lying on, a couple of comfy but cheap looking chairs, a tea table and a tv screen with a bunch of cables hanging out at the wall. He could count three doors, all closed and no hint as to what was behind them, so instead Wooyoung decided to open the curtains of the almost wall-long window. As soon as he did, the bright sun blinded him and he couldn't help but let out a desperate groan. The small living room definitely seemed a lot more welcoming in the light, though, and it made him just a little bit more positive about his situation. If only he could find his phone somewhere, hopefully he hadn't managed to lose it somewhere during the party, because then it was pretty much a lost cause. 

Before he could start looking, though, one of the doors swung open and he was welcomed with a sleepy messyhaired San, rubbing the sleep from his eyes and pouting slightly as he stared at Wooyoung, barely seeming to process his being there. Wooyoung just stared back, as he slowly fitted together the puzzle pieces in his mind, only leaving a giant gap at *why* the hell he had thought it was a good idea to crash at San's after not having spoken with him in 7 years and *how* the hell San had let him. 

"Morning," mumbled San as he made his way over to another door, apparently leading to the kitchen. Wooyoung followed him and watched him fumble with the coffee machine, as he desperately tried to remember the last hour or so of the party. The slam of a coffee cup on the counter in front of him ripped him from his thoughts. San leaned against the counter next to him, sipping from his own cup in silence.

"Thanks." Wooyoung wrapped his hands around the warm drink and breathed in the smell. He waited until San had finished about half of his coffee before he continued.

"Thanks for letting me stay here too."

"It's fine," uttered San, not looking up from his drink. "You didn't really seem in the state to go home."

Wooyoung felt his cheeks flush. "Was it that bad?"

"You kept going on about having a sleepover, too. Said you were going to stay up the whole night, but you fell asleep as soon as you got here." He glanced at Wooyoung with a misschievous glint in his eyes. 

"Right," Wooyoung chuckled softly. "I really don't remember any of that, sorry."

"It's okay." San's famous smile made an appearance. "Do you want to get some breakfast? There's a nice place nearby."

Wooyoung blinked in surprise once before agreeing. He didn't know what exactly his drunk self had done to make San treat him like this, almost like a friend now, but he definitely wasn't complaining. 

"Cool, I'm just going to take a shower first. You can go after me if you want." 

The other nodded. "Oh by the way, do you know where my phone is?" 

"Oh yeah, Hongjoong took it from you, he said you'd regret it otherwise." he giggled. "It's charging by the window." 

Wooyoung took his time to send a number of interrogating texts to Hongjoong, while waiting for his turn to shower. Afterwards San lend him some of his own clothes to wear, claiming Wooyoung's were really not in the right state. Wooyoung didn't really want to know. Eventually they made their way to the café, Wooyoung in a kingsblue sweater and black jeans that were slightly too tight for him. 

~

He wasn't supposed to be up this early, and definitely not on a saturday, but San had pulled on his sleeve right before the end of class yesterday and whispered to him with glistening eyes. Whispered about secret hideouts and magic that was only possible in the hours when the sun just peeked over the horizon. And he had never been able to say no to San. So he had nodded with big eyes and left his window slightly cracked open after his mother had tucked him in already. And San had sneaked in when it was still dark and woken him up by slightly shaking his arm and staring at him with alert eyes that made Wooyoung wonder how long he had been awake already. And then they ran, hands clasped together, San dragging him along to wherever the magic was, running even faster when the first sunshine creeped in. And then they ran into the cornfield and ran through, leaves slapping their faces, too dark to really see where they were going, not slowing down despite knowing better. Until they arrived at the magic spot, a small space where the plants were trappled down enough to sit on them, and San took a blanket out his backpack and a bunch of candy. They sat down, crosslegged, facing each other, panting slightly, in misschievous silence, until they both couldn't stop themselves anymore and started giggling and started eating the candy and giggle even more. San told him about the farmer who owned the field, said he was two meters tall and had one eyebrow and would chase you with a pitchfork if he caught you. And they made up plans to trap the farmer, catch him in a big net or dig a hole for him to fall in. And then they would take over the farm and live there together and have candy for breakfast everyday.

~

It took them ten minutes to walk to the café and it took Wooyoung ten minutes to realize he forgot to bring his wallet. *Great first impression, Wooyoung*, he told himself. *Wait no, your first impression was getting so drunk you can't even remember it.* 

He cleared his throat. "Uhh, I think I might have... forgotten my wallet at your place? I'm sorry-" 

San deadpanned him for a couple seconds, before saying "You didn't. Someone mugged you at the party last night. You tried to chase him but you could barely walk." 

*Shit.*

"Ah..." 

San burst out laughing. "I'm just kidding. Don't worry about it, I'll pay for you!"

If this was a cartoon, there would be a giant question mark over Wooyoung's head, he figured. It took him a couple seconds to recover, but managed to bring out a chuckle and a soft "thanks". 

There was a bit of an awkward silence but luckily they were soon at the front of the line and ready to order. San got himself a black coffee and Wooyoung wondered if he should go for the same thing but eventually decided to go for a white caffe mocha. 

While waiting for their drinks, Wooyoung whipped out his phone, even though he knew he didn't have wifi. Instead he just scrolled through his photo gallery. Scrolled through old memories. Like he needed any more of those. 

When their names were called he let San pick up both their drinks and lead him to a table by the window. He let him burn his tongue on the coffee and let him stare out the window and let him pretend to not notice Wooyoung's nervous mannerisms. He let the silence linger for a bit. 

"So this is weird, huh?" he mumbled, not too loud, not too harsh, but loud enough to not be ignored. 

San shrugged. 

"I don't know what happened last night, but we haven't really had the chance to catch up..." He wasn't used to leading the conversation. Especially not with San. He had nothing to fill the following silence.

"Sorry," San didn't look at him when he spoke. "I thought you were exaggerating about your memories of last night, but I guess... you weren't." 

So this was supposed to be his fault? 

"Did anything happen?" His voice was colder now, at least it felt colder, maybe barely noticeable.

"No! It's just... we talked a lot... It was fun, but..." he sighed. "You're right, this is weird." 

Wooyoung wished their coffees would cool off faster. All he wanted to do was go home, sleep off this fucking hangover and watch anime for the rest of the day, or fuck it, the rest of the week. He didn't want *this* at least. He sighed.

"Sorry..." 

Even now, San managed to make his giggle sound genuine. "It's not your fault." He tapped his finger against his cup a couple times before continuing. "Let's just forget last night even happened. We can start over." He lingered somewhere between a question and a statement. Wooyoung looked up at San for the first time since they sat down.

"Yeah..." 

"So, how have you been?" San sounded awfully bright. Wooyoung opened his mouth, only to close it again. He felt like it was time to scream into a pillow for a bit. 

"Um. Well. I... School's fine I guess. I'm rooming with Hongjoong, you've met him." He glanced at San, who just nodded, urging him to continue. "I'm doing a lot of dance classes, so that's fun..." 

"Oh really?" San perked up. "Is that how you know Yunho?"

*Ah.* 

"Y-yeah. And kind of through Mingi I guess." He cleared his throat and took a couple of big gulps from his drink. The sooner, the better.

"How do you know him?" he asked San. "You two seem pretty close."

"Oh, we had a couple classes together. He's fun." Was that a blush he saw or just his imagination? He hummed in response.

San giggled again. Annoyingly soft and genuine and *cute*. "You're pretty hungover, huh? I can tell you're not really in the mood."

Wooyoung mumbled a halfhearted "sorry".

"Don't worry about it." Oh he sure as hell was going to worry about it. "Maybe we can... meet up some other time when you're feeling a little better?" Definitely on the list of things he didn't expect. He almost choked on his coffee because of how fast he was trying to answer.

"I'd like that, yeah." He smiled. San smiled back.

Next time would be better, Wooyoung promised himself. They would go somewhere fun and he would be prepared and not feel like he was about to die in a ditch and he would be wearing his own clothes, that didn't make him feel like the whole world was staring at his thighs.

~ 

Their first fight was unexpected. Wooyoung didn't like to fight, or argue, or even disagree. Maybe that was the reason San got mad in the first place. Maybe it wasn't. It didn't matter. They hadn't fought once in the now almost three years they had known each other. Maybe it was bound to happen. Wooyoung hated it. He hated going to school and having no one to talk to, having San throw annoyed glances his way or just straight up ignore him, having nothing to do after school. He knew San was lonely too, no matter how much he tried to hide it. They were always together. The two of them. No one else. And now that they weren't, they didn't know what to do. 

Well maybe Wooyoung did know what to do. He bought bags of candy and collected all he blankets in the house and made them into a fort. He sneaked his mom's laptop into his room (with permission) and chose the cheesiest action movie he could find. He invited San over for friday after school and when the other refused, he told him to come over or he would snitch on him cheating on the homework. Even when they were making their way up the stairs to Wooyoung's bedroom, even when they sat down in the middle of the blanket fort and he could see San's eyes glint with awe, they didn't talk.

"I'm sorry."

And the smile was back. 

~

The walk back was quiet, but not in an awkward way. Wooyoung couldn't believe San would give him this many chances. Even when he was rude and awkward and didn't try to make things better. Even when he was like *this*. Maybe he had saved San's life during that party or something. That was the only reasonable explanation he could think of.


	3. 3.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> a bit of a shorter chapter today, because it seemed like a nice place to end and theres no use in holding this back if its finished
> 
> as always, comments and kudos are v appreciated and please enjoy!

When Wooyoung entered his dorm Hongjoong was sitting crosslegged on the couch staring intensely at his laptop and with a blanket draped across his shoulders. He was trying to look like he was working hard on school, but Wooyoung knew it was more likely he was playing League of Legends. He screamed his friend's name and threw his entire body over his and the panicked screech Hongjoong let out seemed to confirm his suspicion.

They struggled for a bit, but he soon gave up and just groaned. Wooyoung giggled, then remembered he was supposed to be angry.

"Hongjoong!" he screamed again, right into his ear.

"What?!" Hongjoong screamed back.

"Why did you let me do that?!" Wooyoung turned his body around so he was laying with his back on his friend and resting his head on his shoulder. Hongjoong blanked for a bit and then started laughing maniacally and wrapped his arms around Wooyoung's waist.

"How did it go?" he asked mischievously, and Wooyoung could almost _hear_ his eyebrows wiggling.

"That's not an answer to my question," he pouted. It felt nice to be this comfortably close to someone. There weren't many people he felt like he could be like this with. He allowed himself to relax into Hongjoong's embrace, but he knew the other wasn't just about to let him go without a detailed description of the event.

"Have you had breakfast yet? San only drinks coffee." Hongjoong hummed into his hair and then pushed him away to stand up and rumble around in cupboards.

Soon enough they were sitting across each other with a whole assortment of bread and fruit and yogurt and Wooyoung's second coffee of the day. Hongjoong was keeping in his rant on the importance of breakfast in order to stare expectantly at Wooyoung. He considered not telling him anything out of spite, but it didn't last long before he started spilling everything. From the moment he had first spotted San to when he finally left his dorn. Throughout the story Hongjoong's smile just got bigger and bigger.

"What are you smiling about?" Wooyoung tried to seem indignant, but his pout just made Hongjoong giggle.

"You're whipped, man." Wooyoung threw an orange at him, which his friend easily dodged.

"I'm not!" But he felt his cheeks heating up.

"Uh huh." Hongjoong's eyes sparkled.

"But don't worry, I'm sure he doesn't hate you yet." Wooyoung considered exploding at Hongjoong and considered disappearing forever and starting a new life on an island somewhere, but eventually he just sighed and let his forehead rest on the table.

"He probably _does._ I was acting stupid and probably made the worst first impression _ever_." He groaned.

"It's not exactly a first impression if you've known him for so long." commented Hongjoong nonchalantly.

"Shut _up_ ," groaned Wooyoung. His neck was starting to hurt, but he refused to look up and let Hongjoong see his burning red cheeks. "You're not taking this seriously!"

"You worry too much." Hongjoong patted the top of his head, while stuffing another piece of bread in his mouth. "You know what, I'll help you pick out an outfit for your date with him."

Wooyoung shot up to scream "It's not a date!" and to look for something else to throw, but there was nothing left except a glass of juice, and he wasn't _that_ upset just yet. Instead he just threw angry looks his way.

"Traitor. Why didn't you just take me home?"

"I didn't go home myself. I was with Yeosang." Hongjoong remarked.

Yeosang. The name sounded familiar. He searched his memory and vaguely recalled the sharp eyebrows, black hair and soft voice. "He suits you."

Now it was Hongjoong's turn to go slightly pink and shout: "Just as _friends_ , Wooyoung!"

~

One time they went camping, just the two of them. It was only one night, close enough to Wooyoung's house so his parents could keep an eye on him, but far away enough to feel like they were all alone. Yet, it was one of he most magical nights he had ever experienced.

There was something about the way they made up stories about wolves and bears and strange shadow creatures, and then got scared of their own tales when it got dark. The way they promised each other they would stay up all night, but fell asleep within a couple hours already. The way he woke up at sunrise, only to see San's soft, peaceful breathing right next to him, buried in his sleeping bag. It all made him feel like he must be the luckiest person on earth.

That's my best friend, he thought. And smiled.

~

It was only later, when he was alone in his bedroom, that Wooyoung sat down to think, pulling on the hem of the sweater.

"Keep it. Blue looks good on you." San had said.

"... Are you serious?" Wooyoung couldn't help but stare, his mouth slightly agape. San had shrugged.

"I don't even wear it anymore, since I dyed my hair."

The sweater was soft on his skin, and not too warm or stuffy, and it smelled like San. His San. The San he thought he had lost but magically reappeared in front of his eyes this morning. But San was different too. Like he was a cover sung of a song he loved. Like he was the remaster of a movie. Like he had gone through seven years of life and it had changed him.

Maybe he was more solid than he had ever been. Wooyoung always figured one day San would disappear. Off to experience adventures and make stories and do all sorts of crazy things. Sometimes he would wake up and wonder if his friend would still be in that seat in front and to the right of him. And later he had fantasized that San had gone and left everything, in the end, now that there was no Wooyoung to hold him back.

But he was here. And he was San, but not really. Not fully. Not the San he knew. That was okay, he thought. Surely he wasn't the same person himself either. And the new San seemed nice. Different, but a good person. The kind of person that would give your their sweater purely because they like seeing it on you.

Was it a date?

Did he want it to be?


	4. 4.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> hey folks!  
> sorry for the long wait, my phone broke so I lost all my progress and a lot of motivation, but now im back on track and ready to hopefully make the next chapter real long again!  
> also if you want to stay updated when stuff like this happens or if you just wanna talk, my twitter is @nonictea1  
> (also I feel like I should mention that I dont really know how american colleges work and this isnt based around a particular city lmaoo)
> 
> that's all, please enjoy!

Morning classes weren't Wooyoung's thing. He had never been a morning person to begin with and his sleep schedule hadn't exactly improved since he moved into the dorms. Partying neighbors and a roommate with the same love for playing games and binging shows till late in the night made sure of that. It wasn't rare for him to just give up and not show up to his earlier seminars, despite his multiple alarms and best intentions. Still, he tried to make a point of always attending his lectures. They at least seemed useful to him, even if he was dozing off in the back of the hall half the time. And especially his Thursday lecture wasn't one to be missed, because right after was the only time all four of their friend group were close enough to the lunch hall to eat together. Which meant that was the time he got a Mingi hug and got to hear Yunho's gossip and wild stories and got to hear Hongjoong's 'Song Recommendation of the Week'. And he wouldn't miss it for the world.

Wooyoung loved even just seeing his friends together. Sometimes he would just lean back and watch them excitedly chatter, share stories, ideas and plans. He figured he was lucky to have them. He wondered what others would see if they looked at them. He wondered what his friends considered to be _his_ thing. Or if they even thought about that kind of stuff at all.

Yet today he maybe would rather have been alone. Because San was sitting with his own friend group, almost at the complete other side of the hall. Wooyoung had spotted him right as he came in and immediately his mind starting racing. Was that his usual spot? Had he always been there? Had Wooyoung just never noticed him before? Had he noticed Wooyoung? Should he go to him to talk or would that be weird? Was he really staring right back at him right now?

Wooyoung waved shyly.

San waved back.

Wooyoung blushed.

He looked away, only to catch Hongjoong's smug grinning look. Luckily he didn't say anything. He probably would have if he could have heard how fast Wooyoung's heart was beating. Over a wave. He internally laughed at himself. It was embarrassing, really. He couldn't help but hear Hongjoong's voice in his head again: "You're whipped, man."

He supposed he was.

It had taken a bit for him to accept that. He wasn't one to get crushes easily. If he was interested in someone he was usually also fine with just befriending them. Or he would convince himself he was fine with it. Or he would wait long enough until he was fine with it. But with San there was the issue of the date. He figured he should at least decide whether he wanted it to be a date or not before taking San up on the offer. And he couldn't think about it too long, that would just be weird. So he thought long and hard about it for a couple days and decided, yes, he did like San. Maybe he always had. That realization made the butterflies in his stomach only go wilder. He had already decided he was going to ask San out somewhere, but he still had to flesh out his plan. Seeing him now wasn't exactly great timing. But it made Wooyoung equally has happy as anxious.

~

Wooyoung wanted to do something great for San's birthday. His friend barely celebrated or even mentioned it usually, but Wooyoung had decided that was going to change this year. He was going to do something touching and exciting and unforgettable. Though he didn't yet know what. It wasn't easy, considering he had, like, twelve dollars and absolutely no way of transport. But he'd think of something. Even if it took him days of daydreaming during school to come up with it.

~

When it got about time for the four of them to finish their meal and all return to their own separate lives, Wooyoung couldn't be quick enough to jump up and offer to bring the empty cups and plates to the other side of the hall. Sure, he got some strange looks and Hongjoong's suspicion was about to grow exponentially larger than it already was, but no one was going to stop or question him, they were all too lazy to do it themselves. And so, his big plan could be set in action.

Wooyoung had entrusted himself with the big task of saying hi to San when he walked by.

He had to make sure he wasn't staring and he wasn't walking straight at him, he wasn't going too slow or fast. And most importantly, not to make a fool out of himself by, say, tripping and dropping the entire stack of dishes right next to San's table. He shivered at the thought. Man, walking had never been so hard.

"Hey." Was that nonchalant enough? Too nonchalant?

Based on San's soft smile and the bright "Hi!" he got back, it was just the right amount of nonchalance.

And it seemed San was still a morning person. Lucky him.

~

The arcade. It was perfect. He and San had gone to the arcade before, of course, but only the small one, the one all their classmates went to, the one for kids. But Wooyoung knew there was another one in the big city. He'd heard it was twice as big, right in the middle of the city, and it had the shooting games where the controller itself was a gun. They'd go there, he figured, all by themselves. They'd take the bus, spend a few hours at the big arcade, buy some snacks and wait until it was dark to go back. They'd both tell their parents they were sleeping over at the other's house. Wooyoung would pay for it all, somehow. He would save up, do some small jobs for his neighbors, maybe he would call his grandparents. It would be perfect. San would love it.


	5. 5.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> at this point im not sure where this is set and i cant be bothered to figure it out. 
> 
> also its surprisingly harder for me to write fluff than i thought, i keep wanting to add some angst, but i wont!!
> 
> the boys are going on a date and hopefully its as soft and cute as it felt while writing it
> 
> lemme know what you think and enjoy!!

How to ask Choi San on a date. It seemed one of the hardest things he ever had to do. He spent maybe two full days coming up with a way to do it, then rehearsing his lines, then building up the confidence. Now came waiting for the right moment. Which of course was definitely not now. Despite San being right there studying in the building next to his dance training. Despite Wooyoung just finishing and not having anything else planned for that night. Despite San spotting him through the window and excitedly waving at him. Despite the fact that Yunho was conveniently absent that class. Nope, not the right moment. Because he was.... sweaty. Yeah, that was it.

Wooyoung was fully preparing to walk right away after politely waving back, but to his surprise San jumped up from his study spot and before he knew it the other was standing right before him. Well, if the universe was insisting he ask him...

"Hey, Wooyoung!" Awfully chipper coming from someone who allegedly just came from sitting bent over a book for ages. Maybe he was just happy about the distraction.

"Heyy, what a coincidence you're here, I actually wanted to ask you something." Might as well get it over with immediately, or he'd back out due to nerves.

"Oh really? I was gonna ask _you_ something?" San giggled. "You go first."

"Oh. Uhh..." Wooyoung suppressed the urge to let San go first anyway. "Well actually, I..." He looked at the ground. "Wanted to ask if you... wanted... to go..." It was probably the most drawn out sentence he had ever uttered. "On a date? With? Me?"

It stayed silent for a little too long and San's face was completely unreadable. Wooyoung wished he could just point at a hidden camera in the bushes right now and pretend this was all a prank, but unfortunately he had to wait for what felt like the longest one and a half seconds of his life.

"Damn it, Wooyoung, I was just about to ask you that!" He laughed. "I would love to!"

His smile seemed to wash all of Wooyoung's worries away, the sun began to shine a little brighter and he couldn't help but laugh too.

"Great!" He beamed at San and blurted out: "I'll organize it!"

"Sure!" San giggled and for a moment they just stood their smiling at each other, before settling on the timing of their date.

It felt unreal. It felt too easy. They were going on a date. That night Wooyoung fell asleep with the blanket pulled all the way over his nose to hide the suspicious smile that was plastered on his face for hours now.

-

He hadn't told Hongjoong. His roommate would have asked a thousand questions and given a thousand tips and it would've just made him more nervous than he already was. But he did ask for fashion advice, discretely, and he specifically asked for blue. Which was how he ended up in a blue turtleneck and denim jacket, complete with silver jewellery and even some fake glasses. Way bolder than what he would usually put on. Cute but classy. Hopefully.

He hadn't told Hongjoong, but it shouldn't be too hard to guess. Wooyoung had been uncharacteristically happy these past couple days, to the point of humming songs while making breakfast and wishing his professors a nice day when he left his lectures. And asking for fashion advice was definitely a rare occurrence for Wooyoung, considering he preferred to spend most of his days in jeans and a t-shirt or comfortable workout clothes. But if Hongjoong suspected anything, he wisely kept his mouth shut. Wooyoung was left to deal with his own nervousness.

He had planned it all out. Go to a nearby city, somewhere they wouldn't run into anyone they knew. Stroll around a bit, explore the place, see what they could find. Then, go to dinner. Wooyoung had found a restaurant just cheap but fancy-looking enough to be suitable. Afterwards, they could watch the sunset on the beach. It was too cold to actually go swimming, but it would be a romantic enough gesture. It would be perfect.

-

They had been chatting almost constantly, strolling through unknown streets, letting the flow of people lead them wherever. It was calm enough to be walking comfortably, looking around, in and out of shops, playing the tourist while talking about anything and everything. Yet it was crowded enough to feel anonymous, to feel like their presence there was unnoticed, accepted, maybe even expected. Like they were supposed to be there, like they belonged there somehow, that specific day. Despite not knowing much about the city and frankly, having no idea where they were, the place felt safe, welcoming, comforting. The perfect place to meet an old friend. Strange, new, yet somehow familiar.

At the sight of the big banner with the words 'free entrance', San immediately squealed and grabbed his hand. Before Wooyoung even knew where they were going, more distracted by the soft, warm hand in his own, he had pulled him into a small gallery. The person, presumably the artist, sitting comfortably by the entrance nodded politely at them. The place was relatively big, with high ceilings and a pleasant smell, each painting professionally labelled and prized with a budget that made Wooyoung skip a breath.

He watched San with a content smile, as the other spent minutes looking at every piece with open mouth and sparkling eyes dashing along every part of the painting. Every detail, every brush stroke was taken in, mulled over and stored somewhere in that magical mind of his that Wooyoung would love to be able to explore. He liked art himself, sure, but it only took him a couple seconds to look at a piece, mentally go 'nice' and move on. Yet he figured he could spent hours looking at San. The way he strolled toward the next painting, gaze still lingering on the last one. How he didn't dare to make a sound, all soft footsteps and held in breaths. How he got completely absorbed into the work he saw, only barely snapping out of it when Wooyoung touched his hand and leaned closer. Only barely processing that this was the end and he'd been staring at the last piece for minutes now. San took a deep breath, as if to take in the atmosphere of the place for the last time, as if the air was somehow different there, before letting Wooyoung lead him outside. Back into the bright sun and the busy sounds of the streets.

~

Wooyoung remembered the day his mother talked to him about lost friendships. How it was inevitable. How it happened to everyone. How it was only a logical result of growing up. How he had the chance to make so many new friends in high school. How he shouldn't dwell on the past. How he should use these first few weeks to reach out and meet new people. He was trying not to get mad. He knew it wasn't her fault and he knew she was right. And it wasn't like he wasn't enjoying high school. He _had_ met a lot of new people and they _did_ seem like potential new friends. But something about the way she seemed to expect this rubbed him the wrong way. He knew this was about San, who else could it be about? And sure, they had been hanging out a lot less than before since they had both started high school. And sure, they talked a lot less than usual now that they didn't see each other regularly. But that was just because they were both getting used to this new period in their life. They both were trying to get settled in their new schools, but that didn't mean they wouldn't have place for each other anymore. They would figure it out. They were best friends after all.

It took Wooyoung so long to realize. And even longer to accept.

They say that people who have been friends for seven years will stay together forever.

That's a lie.

~

San had something magical about him. He realized it as they were sitting on the pier, their legs swinging in the air. San was looking out over the beach, eyes slightly tightened, lips slightly pouted, and Wooyoung was looking at _him_. Taking in his image. Taking in his magic. The way the golden sun kissed his skin. The way his hair was partially covering his eyes and he hadn't bothered to wipe it away. The way the wind gently played with it. The scrunched up shoulders. The fingers tapping rhythmically on the pier. The legs swinging back and forth like a little kid's on a swing. The colorful gems in his ears. The delicate features, sharp eyes and strong jawline.

There always seemed to be a tenseness to him when he looked like this. A feeling of being completely in control. Of being overly aware of every part of himself. Of hiding an immense power. Yet at the same time he seemed gentle, kind. Maybe it was just Wooyoung's knowledge of him. Maybe it was that he associated him with his bright smile and soft hands and cute giggles. Maybe because he had seen that side so many times these past couple hours.

He suppressed the urge to reach out, to touch him, to break this timeless, unmoving image and have him smile at him again, grab his hands and feel the softness of them, the warmth of his presence.

He couldn't. He could only watch him, fascinated. Wonder what went on in his head. If he really was tense. If the sun on his skin felt golden like it looked. If the wind gave him goosebumps or if he was thankful for it. If he felt for Wooyoung what he felt for him.


	6. 6.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> the last chapter!!! more notes at the end!

San called him the next day.

"I had a lot of fun! You really did a great job organizing it!" He could hear the smile in his voice.

"I had a great time too! Though there wasn't a lot of organizing," he laughed shyly.

"Well, I would have never thought to go there. It was a great idea. You should probably be the one organizing our next date, too. If you want to, at least...."

Wooyoung wasn't exactly sure which question he was answering when he blurted out an overexcited 'yes of course!', but he knew the feeling in his stomach had shifted from nervousness to excitement. And his mind immediately started racing with ideas, even after he and San wished each other goodnight, he couldn't get himself to calm down.

-

It was only after the fourth date that Wooyoung started to worry. Everything seemed to go well, great even, better than expected. Yet he couldn't help but notice the way San smiled whenever he talked about Yunho, how he would pitch up whenever someone mentioned his name and hang on his arm when they saw each other.

Wooyoung wasn't the jealous type, or at least, that's what he told himself. He didn't want to be. He wanted to believe San and Yunho were just good friends. He wanted to be confident that San chose _him_ , that he liked _him_ and no one else. And it shouldn't be that hard considering how their dates were going and how much San talked to him and wanted to spend time with him. But the feeling in the pit of his stomach was still there. He didn't _want_ Yunho to be there. He didn't _want_ them to be around each other and secretly he didn't even want to _see_ Yunho right now. It was selfish, cruel and unfair, and he knew it. Wooyoung didn't like confrontation. He didn't want to talk to Yunho, but he knew should. They were friends, after all. At least they had been for so long. He didn't want this to ruin them. He didn't want his own feelings to ruin them.

At first he told Hongjoong. On one of those late nights when the world seemed so quiet and all conversation carried more meaning. He didn't expect him to understand. He expected him to get mad and scold him. Maybe he wanted him to. But Hongjoong was kind. Too kind. Too forgiving.

"You should talk to him." He said. _I know._

"I'm sure he'll understand." _Will he?_

"It's probably not as bad as you think." _Probably._

"You know Yunho, he probably doesn't even notice it himself. "

He remembered a couple months back they told Yunho about the girl in his class that clearly had a crush on him. How Yunho had turned bright red, stuttered, denied, claimed they were just imagining things. How they could see the realization kick in halfway through. How they had teased him about it for weeks. Now when Wooyoung thought back on it, he realized he hadn't seen the two of them hang out ever since. He almost felt guilty.

Everyone liked Yunho. And Yunho liked everyone. But not like that. 

He didn't end up talking to him.

-

It was the sixth date, right after. They were lying on San's bed together, tired from the busy and exciting day. Wooyoung was lying on his side, hand on San's stomach, San's arm around his shoulders. Closer than they had ever been. This was the time, he decided. Now or never. He had to know.

> "What happened at that party? Please tell me " It came out as a whisper. He couldn't bear to break the atmosphere, the endless moment in time they had found themselves in but he _had_ to know.

San raised himself up on his elbows, holding himself over Wooyoung's body to look directly into his eyes.

"Nothing happened." He smiled. "You were just being yourself."

Wooyoung frowned, looked away at the pillow he had buried himself into.

"But something changed..." Barely a whisper this time, a breath of air, so easy to ignore, but San plucked it out of the sky and took it in completely.

"I thought you had changed," he admitted. "I thought I had lost you and it was my fault, but I realized that night that you hadn't. You're still you."

"I don't even know who that is."

"You're Wooyoung. You're kind and creative and caring. Your voice brings energy and your laugh brings happiness. You have the most wonderful mind I've ever come across. You'd die for your friends. You love meeting people even though you're shy. When you dance, you shine brighter than the stars. You're interested in the entire world and-"

Wooyoung wrapped his arms around San's waist and pulled him down on top of him, only leaving a moment to take in his surprised eyes and his warm breath on his skin, before kissing him.

Soft, warm and timeless.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> hey all,  
> ive decided to end this story here. i dont want to make anyone wait any longer and i dont want to make any promises i cant keep.  
> i had so much fun writing this!!!! but i definitely also learned some stuff like: im not great at consistently writing series like this lol  
> it also didnt help that i went into this without a clear plan or plot.  
> thats some stuff ill keep in mind for future projects!
> 
> thank you all so so much for reading and leaving kudos. and for anyone reading through this later, please consider leaving a comment to let me know how you feel about this!!
> 
> anyways, thats all, thanks again and much love,  
> noni

**Author's Note:**

> thanks for reading!


End file.
